Need a caffeine boost? Try the Chocolate Buzz cupcake with espresso and Kahlua flavors. With best sellers like Amazing Amaretto, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Mousse Bliss, and more, there is something for everyone. Try something different one of their half pound cupcakes like More S’more or Carrot Cake.  In 2008, Edibles Incredible won Product of the Year by Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, so their treats must be good. Prices start range from $29 to $54 and are slightly more expensive for liquor based cakes. Cupcakes start at $3.50 and are also slightly more expensive for liquor based flavors.

823 King Street Alexandria
703.549.2708
www.bittersweetcatering.com

For nearly 25 years, Bittersweet Bakery has been serving Alexandria and the Washington D.C. area with layer cakes, specialty desserts, giant cupcakes, freshly baked cookies, bar desserts, pies, breads, and rolls.  Executive baker Angel Brizuela offers many delicious confections including a giant cupcake 8 and a half inches tall that can serve twelve people, layered cakes like his best selling Carrot Cake and runner up Chocolate Mousse cake. For kids, he offers a Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcake with white cake, strawberry filling, and peanut butter buttercream icing. Cupcakes start at $2.75 each and cakes range from $20 to $90. Party kits are also available for kid’s parties. Party kits include one dozen cupcakes and three different colors of icing for do-it-yourself fun for only $49.50.

“Victoria’s Cakery is unreal,” said mother of three, Heather Huling of Centreville, Virginia. With decadent cakes like Heaven: white chocolate and raspberry flavors, it is heaven. “White chocolate with raspberry filling is my favorite for SURE,” said Huling.  Whether you are serving six people or eighty, Victoria’s Cakery can create customized cakes for any occasion. For decoration, each cake is tied with a ribbon around the middle and has the option of being written on. Other flavors include the ever popular Boston Crème, Peanut Buttercup, and German Chocolate. Sizes range from six inch cakes to 15 inch cakes. Other treats are available like scones, cookies, and cheesecakes.

Specialties like Black Forest Cake, German Chocolate, and Fruit Charlotte are just a few of the scrumptious flavors German Chef Wolfgang Büchler has to offer at his European style bakery. Wolfgang came over from Germany not knowing a word of English and has been creating cakes and treats, with his wife, Carla, for so many established people in the D.C. area. Testimonials featured on the Heidelberg website have nothing but nice things to say about Wolfgang, Carla, and the Heidelberg Shoppe.  Heidelberg also offers pies, breads, deli selections, truffles, and more.

Since 1999, owner of Unique Bakery, David Behnam has created beautiful cakes for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, summer time, or for any occasion. He is inspired by Europe, Central Asia, the Mediterranean, and local places. Pick from ten flavors of cake and fifteen delicious fillings. The top three most popular flavors all include chocolate. According to Behnam, the most popular flavors include Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate cake with Chocolate mousse filling and in third place Chocolate cake with mocha filling. For birthday cakes, starting prices are at $10 and end at $95 for a full sheet cake serving 85 people

Whether you are interested in wedding cakes, birthday cakes, or many of the other possibilities, pastry chef Jason Reaves is there to help you with your vision. Reaves says his favorite is an apple spice cake that he created for a school project and has been his favorite ever since. Prices for special occasion cakes start from $25 dollars, serving 4 people to $75 serving 30. What sounds good to you, Brownie Decadent: devil’s food cake and dark chocolate ganache with chocolate chunks in the filling or some lighter like Summer Time: lemon chiffon cake, blueberry filling, and pistachio buttercream frosting. Take your pick out of the many flavors Market Salamander offers and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Custom cakes at Balducci’s are exactly that, custom. Whether you are serving for four or 100, there is a cake for you. They have many photos of cakes on their website that you can look at like Dolly Sin, their bestseller or you can create your own. Create texture like lace or a basket weave, draw pictures, add fruit or flowers, written messages and more. Next choose from a choice of six cake flavors like chocolate sponge, eight types of icing including chocolate mousse or rolled marzipan, fifteen fillings like fruit fillings to snow puff coconut, and enhancements like Grand Marnier or Mocha as well as many others.

I have been making frequent trips to Boston to see one of my Mutual Fund clients. In their employee cafeteria they have Cosi. I became addicted to their Tomato Basil Soup and Grilled Chicken T.B.M.

Their tomato soup is the best combination of sweet tomato, fresh basil and a touch of cream. I can't get enough of it. I also like the T.B.M. sandwich with grilled chicken breast (I ask them to substitute it with Tandoori Chicken), tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella with Così's vinaigrette sauce. You can even lighten it up with fat-free vinaigrette which brings the calorie count down to 563 calories. I just had this combination for lunch. Yummy.

http://www.getcosi.com/